6.3 lakh voters deleted from Hyderabad electoral rolls

Hyderabad: Alleging foul play by GHMC, the Opposition parties have said large-scale name deletions have been done in the voters lists in areas with majority Seemandhra population.

The GHMC’s own record says the names of 1.21 lakh voters from Kukatpally circle have been deleted, followed by Khairatabad circle with 50,112 voters and Quthbullapur with 43,140. As on today, 6,30,652 lakh electors have been removed from the lists citing reasons like non-eligible, door-lock cases, shifted and duplicate voters, in all the 18 circles.

Somesh Kumar, district election officer and commissioner & special  officer, GHMC, has responded to the charge by saying that the names  were deleted after due verification and issuing of notices to the  electors. Those who had not responded in spite of the notices,  numbered 4,77,000 and their names have been deleted, he said.

Opposition parties apprehend that the deletion lists would get bigger  in the days ahead. There are complaints GHMC staff deleted many names  without inquiry or verification mainly in areas won by the TD, Congress and BJP candidates in the 2009 elections. For instance, the name of Kay Raghav Raju, 54, (ID number FYY2381309) from Serilingampally constituency has been deleted from the list, by stating 'shifted'. The voter who lodged a complaint said, "I have been living here for over 20 years and no GHMC official ever came to my house for a verification. On Tuesday, I found my name in the deleted list. I then filed a complaint.”

Iftekhar Unnisa Begum and Razia Hafeez, both residents of Fateh Darwaza, Charminar constituency, had a similar experience. ‘Shifted’ was the reason cited for deleting their names, while they have never shifted their abode. Several such cases from Khair-atabad, Uppal, Secund-erabad and Nampally have been reported. Election commission call center 1950 received a spate of calls after it updated the 'deleted' list and published it. From Abids circle, over 44,000 voters and from LB Nagar 35,310 voters were removed from the lists.

Of the total 4,77,972 names deleted from lists, 53,980 were identified as duplicate voters, 5,458 were 'ineligible', and 22,508 were found 'dead', while as many as 3,49,217 names were deleted on the ground they shifted house and 46,809 were removed as their ‘doors were locked’. In Greater Hyderabad limits, 1.06 lakh voters had been enrolled twice  in the electoral rolls, out of which 53,980 electors have been issued  notices.

No more deletions: EC chief

While admitting that over six lakh names have been deleted from voters lists in GHMC area till date, Chief Electoral Officer in TS, Bhanwar Lal, said official-level deletions ended on September 15, and no more deletions will be done hereafter.

He told Deccan Chronicle that from September 16, EC took up a state-level rationalised polling station work. Meanwhile, notices have been issued to over 30,64,434 people whose names have been deleted due to various reasons, of which 3 lakh have responded. 

Hearing for the same was conducted and the eligible names have been retained. As many as 27 lakh notices, he said, did not elicit any response. Only after replies come orders would be issued on an individual basis.